Read a full match report of the Premier League game between West Bromwich
Albion and Newcastle United at the Hawthorns on Wednesday Jan 1, 2014.

West Bromwich Albion have scoured Europe in their search for a successor to Steve Clarke, but perhaps the answer is lying right under their noses at the Hawthorns.

Caretaker manager Keith Downing has had a fine week. He impressed with his quietly dignified handling of Nicolas Anelka’s controversial quenelle goal celebration at West Ham last Saturday - the French striker lined up as usual in Albion’s starting XI on Wednesday, as he awaits the Football Association’s decision on whether he should be banned for the gesture - while, on the field, results are finally starting to improve.

Having salvaged a point at Upton Park last week, Albion made it four games unbeaten and secured their first win under Downing after substitute Saido Berahino scored from the penalty spot with four minutes remaining here.

It was a first victory in 10 matches for Albion, a dismal run that helps explain why Downing finds himself in situ in the first place, but much more of this and he yet find himself in contention to take over on a permanent basis.

Downing, who was academy manager before being promoted to assistant head coach, has so far ruled himself out as a candidate to succeed Clarke, who was dismissed three-and-a-half weeks ago, but he has called for the club to resolve the uncertainty.

“I’m enjoying it but for me it was always about just supporting the club,” he said. “It was important to try to change the momentum and we have done that over the Christmas period, although there is still a lot of work to be done.

“The players have got back some of their belief. We were up against a Newcastle side who had won seven out of 10 games coming into this one, yet we limited them to only a few chances whiled creating some of our own.”

Downing said he would be reluctant even to take on the job until the end of the season. “I would still rather work in a supporting role here, although I will continue until an appointment is made,” he said. “It is not for me to comment on what the club will do but we have an important month coming up. I don’t think it will take much monger but a decision has to be made at some stage.”

His cause in winning was helped by a straight red card for defender Mathieu Debuchy that left Newcastle to play the final 27 minutes with 10 men in a match in which most of the better chances had fallen to the home side.

Debuchy was sent off after launching a studs-up, two-footed challenge on Albion’s Claudio Yacob. It was the Frenchman’s second red card for Newcastle, whom he joined from Lille a year ago, and will earn him a second ban this season, in which he has also been booked nine times.

“I couldn’t really argue with the red card,” Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said. “There was no malicious intent but you can’t go in with two feet, you can’t take off and he knows it.

“It changed the game. Until then I felt we were in control of the game, without being able to make the breakthrough we needed.”

Albion had a number of chances to take the lead before half-time but were unable to convert any of them, failing to take advantage of the success Morgan Amalfitano enjoyed attacking Newcastle’s left flank. Stephane Sessegnon, twice, Jonas Olsson, Chris Brunt and Anelka were all wasteful in front of goal, the latter scooping the ball over the bar from close range.

Just before the penalty award, Liam Ridgewell missed the clearest chance of the match when he somehow directed Berahino’s low cross wide of the left-hand post when it seemed easier to score.

The penalty came when goalkeeper Tim Krul brought down Albion substitute Matej Vydra with his trailing leg after Brunt’s pass put the Czech striker through on goal.

Berahino, who had replaced the injured Billy Jones in a half-time change, drilled his spot kick wide of Krul’s outstretched left arm to score his eighth goal of the season and his fourth in the Premier League, to leave Downing smiling once again.